


Forever I Will Glow

by yukisadah



Category: Guardians of Childhood & Related Fandoms, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Book/Movie Fusion, Book Spoilers, Gen, Though whether it's an AU or not is debatable I think anyways, Tried to stay as canon as I could
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 10:11:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7680382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yukisadah/pseuds/yukisadah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's something off about the boy known as Jack Frost. Something that isn't quite right. Why can he only remember his human life from when he was human until he became Jack Frost? And who is this mysterious glowing boy the others mention when they tell him of their backstories? Pitch seems to know, that's for sure. And Jack has a feeling he knows as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever I Will Glow

**Author's Note:**

> First full ROTG fic yay!! I tried my best ;__;7 Even though ROTG came out years ago, I still love the books. Can't wait until 3 Oct. 2017!
> 
> I was really disappointed in the lack of fics discussing how Jack and Nightlight are one in the same, so I tried my hand at my own.
> 
> I apologize for any typos, I'm a bit tired from work and I have an Aichuu fic I promised to write tonight I need to do research for and pump out. I'll come back and edit this eventually for any errors.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

   “Hey, Tooth?” Jack questioned, looking over towards the brightly-colored woman sitting on the other side of the room.

As North and the others turned at the sudden question, breaking the usual chattering conversation, he couldn’t help but think on how much had changed. The Guardians were all gathered in Santoff Claussen for the holiday. It was the day of Christmas, the group not meeting the day prior due to North obviously having to work the actual evening of Christmas Eve. While the former Cossack would usually spend the next day resting, he had opted to have his fellow compatriots over in celebration. Usually the Guardians would not celebrate any of the holidays together-- it seemed unfair to celebrate North and Bunny having a day while Tooth and Sandy had to work every day. Not to mention that the aforementioned workaholics were often too busy to even consider attending.

That had all changed with their newest member. Jack Frost.

That’s not to say they wanted to baby him or anything of the like, but it was obvious how much damage centuries of isolation and loneliness could do to any one person. Even if he never said anything of it, the winter spirit’s quirks were enough of an indicator. While it was obvious he did enjoy being around the others when he could, it was equally clear that he could and would quickly grow uncomfortable with too much exposure to outside company.

He enjoyed being with the Guardians, certainly, and while the eternal teen had craved companionship and attention for so long, his solitude made it so he was often more comfortable and used to being alone. Although it had only been a number of months, mere seconds to the immortal beings, Jack had already begun to become more accustomed to the others’ presences. Perhaps it was due in part to his own willingness to acclimate, but it was with astonishing speed that the teen worked to learn to be with others.

And the others took note of this.

It was this very reason they were having Christmas together from now on, why they attempted to have more frequent meetings (which was also useful for keeping closer tabs on possible issues), and in general planned out more visits with each other. No one could say the Guardians were not close friends, they were and had been for centuries, but there had been a certain distance after a long while. It was the same as their distance when it had come to interacting with children, and once again the wayward soul known as Jack Frost had been the one to point this out to them, intentionally or not.

Though, in that case, perhaps it would be best if they tried to invite Ombric or Katherine along for their outings. It would certainly strengthen their bonds if they informed Jack of their old companions. The two had split off, choosing to remain at the original Santoff Claussen after that last battle on the moon so long ago, back when one of their own had sacrificed himself to try and take down Pitch (and not for the first time, either). In fact, that lost comrade was perhaps the reason the others did not wish to inform either of their missing companions of Jack Frost’s inclusion.

Jack Frost was entirely too similar to Nightlight.

It was uncanny, really. How one spirit could resemble another in so many ways. North was certain if Nightlight were to be asked his center, his would be one of fun as well. He had always been making fun out of serious situations: having a game of tag when luring off Pitch’s fearlings, bringing up clever plans and using his important friend, his Moonbeam, for help. They were both teens, though Jack was clearly older than the eternally fourteen Nightlight, and both had pale skin and white hair. The two even had similar hooked staffs, though their ethereal friend had had a more refined one with a glowing diamond at the tip made of the tears of those he cared for-- it was in that tip where his beloved moonbeam friend lay. 

Katherine had been entirely too close to Nightlight for her to handle Jack’s appearance. She and the glowing boy had been the best of friends before his sacrifice. The girl blamed herself for his disappearance, she had been the one he had given the good-night kiss to after all. They had come to learn such a kiss had caused the boy to no longer be able to be himself-- to be Nightlight. In the end, that may have been why he had made the choice he had. Nightlight knew he had little time left, so he had used it to do his best to take down their greatest enemy and gave his all.

But while Jack and Nightlight were similar, they were also worlds apart.

While Nightlight was silent, rarely speaking except in rare moments with a resounding ethereal voice, Jack spoke to fill the never-ending silence he was so accustomed to. Where Nightlight was a fourteen year old boy, stuck in between the confusing mess of childhood and adulthood, Jack was a more comfortable and confident eighteen year old (in terms of knowing where he stood by his age, at least). 

There were a number of differences between them, from brilliant green eyes against icy blue to a quiet personality against a stronger more guarded one. But for every difference, there was a similarity. Tall and thin, with a mischievous and fun-filled cleverness so distinct to each boy. Which made it all the more painful for someone like Katherine to come in contact with the winter spirit. If any of the current Guardians had been particularly close to the boy (and out of all of them, North thought himself to likely be the most), perhaps they too would be unable to look into Jack’s pale face and not see the glowing gaze of their dear lost friend.

But centuries had passed. They had all come to change and move on, growing apart and more disconnected not only from each other, but also the children they were sworn to protect. It was a shameful display, and the Cossack knew he was not the only one regretful of his unrealized loss of sight. In that way, perhaps it was good Katherine had gone on her own. If she were here, she would surely be disappointed in him.

“Yes? What is it, Jack?” the colorful Queen questioned, turning to face the boy sitting on the window ledge across the room. The others had been gathered near the fire, with Jack opting to lounge upon the sill, appearing completely at ease despite the distance between himself and the group at large.

Shifting a bit in his spot, the eternal teen swung his feet over the edge, leaving them to hover above the floor. Without a sound, he reached into his pocket, removing an ornate golden box with the painted image of a familiar boy-- albeit, brunet and tan instead of wintery white and deathly pale. 

Flashing a dazzling grin, the male spoke, “I thought I should probably return this to you, given it’s been almost half a year now and everything.”

Her hands moving up to hover over her mouth for a moment with a quiet, “Oh!” Tooth flittered over towards the boy, gratefully taking the box back. Giving the teen a smile, she replied, “Thank you, Jack. I was hoping you’d give it back when you were ready.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to go keeping it forever or anything,” the other gave a small laugh in reply, “Getting obsessed with your memories seems like a bad move down the line.”

“It can be dangerous,” she agreed with a nod, “but I know how long you’d been waiting for them. I’m glad you could finally see who you once were,” Toothiana gave a small smile.

With that statement, the teen gave his own small frown, “Actually, that’s something I wanted to ask you about, and also why I kept it so long. For some reason, I could only see my memories from when I was fourteen until I was eighteen and became a spirit.”

A confused expression crept its way across Tooth’s face, “Only those four years? Are you sure? You know, sometimes you have to open the box more than once--”

“Yeah, that’s why I kept it. I kept trying to see if I could see anything else, but the farthest back I could go was to when I was fourteen. It didn’t jog any of my memories or anything either. I mean, I remember being a human, but only from when I was fourteen up until I became a spirit,” the Guardian of Fun explained, choosing his words carefully as to not reveal how he had become a spirit. The eternal teen had a feeling the others wouldn’t take too kindly to the information that he had died before becoming Jack Frost.

Looking from the boy to the box in her grasp and back again, the woman gave a shake of the head, “That’s odd, I can’t think of any reason…I’m sorry, Jack.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” the spirit gave a laugh, “I remembered what was important and that’s enough. I mean, yeah, sure, it’d be nice to know everything about who I was before, but at least now I understand who I really am.”

Yet, even as he said it, Jack felt like his words weren’t entirely true. Sure, he was content. Of course he was, he had a sister! Not only that, he had saved her! Those alone were enough. But no, it wasn’t that that bothered him. For some reason, then white-haired boy felt like what he was saying wasn’t entirely true. That he didn’t understand who he really was, who exactly he had been before Jack Frost. Which was odd, because, didn’t he? He certainly understood his human life enough to be content.

Sandy watched all of this interaction occur, a thoughtful look on his face as he gazed upon the teen and the fairy Queen. Next to him, Bunny also had a strange look on his face, shaking it away after a moment. Bounding forward a few steps, he cut-in, “Well now, that is strange and all, but do you drongos mind if we go eat? My stomach’s been growling and protesting about it for an hour now.”

With a slight laugh, North replied, “Bah! Of course we go, I almost forget! Cannot be Christmas celebration without Christmas dinner!”

All remnants of the previous conversation dissipating, the five Guardians made their way into the dining room for their meal. Tooth seemed a bit concerned still, but had pushed the thought from her mind for the moment and was ready to dig in. She had to admit, she was feeling a bit famished as well.

The Sandman, meanwhile, was still curious. He had a slight hypothesis, though he wasn’t sure whether or not it was true. While there was some evidence to support his theories, there were also very many counter-points that could be made. Perhaps the Man in the Moon would enlighten them soon if enough investigation was done? He would have to look into it…

And Jack...Jack shrugged everything off and went to eat. It wasn’t often he could enjoy a good meal given his living situation-- the nomadic Spirit of Winter often was not privy to hot meals and lavish banquets --so he was excited by the prospect. Still, the feeling of “wrongness”, as though he were missing or forgetting something important entirely, was niggling around in the back of his mind. 

It was odd, just as he thought he had finally remembered everything, he felt he was more lost than ever before.

After their meal, over which there had been many stories of mischief shared and a healthy dose of bickering, Jack had found himself wandering around the Pole. The other four Guardians had gone to return to the sitting room by the fire, Jack excusing himself to walk off a bit of pent-up energy. Not to mention he was beginning to feel a bit smothered being around other people for so long (not that he didn’t like it, of course). 

Stopping in the globe room, the winter spirit paused over an elegant “G” carved into the ground. A tugging seemed to call him towards the symbol, as if there were some little ( _ all too familiar _ ) thing ( _ friend _ ) trying to get his attention. Once he was right before the letter, he felt his feet stop, staring down at it blankly. A moonbeam was shining down upon the tile, and for a moment, all he could do was stare down at it.

“Jack! What are you doing here? Come to see globe?” A clearly Russian-accented voice slashed away at the fog clouding the boy’s mind.

Still not taking his eyes off of the symbol, the teen replied, “Oh, hey, North. I was just looking at this tile. I feel like there’s something familiar about it, but I just can’t put my finger on it…”

Following his gaze, North stalked over, giving a booming laugh once he saw what the other stood before. With a hand on his hip, the larger man explained, “Ah, I see. You are looking at where we keep crystal for talking with Man in Moon.”

“Crystal…?” Jack repeated, still appearing as though he were only half there. His mind still partially lost in his confusing whirl of half-thoughts and unexplainable musings.

Giving a nod, the former Cossack replied, “Yes. It once belonged to a good friend, crystal was made of tears of those he wished to protect. Of course, now it has grown much larger from back then so we can communicate with Man in Moon much easier.”

Finally able to tear his eyes away, the fifth Guardian looked up at the other, “A crystal made of tears? C’mon, North. Doesn’t that sound a little far-fetched? I mean, I know we’re already considered mythical beings, but there has to be a limit, right? And what friend?”

Barking out another laugh, North shook his head, “No, no. I assure you, it is true story. As for friend…” the larger male trailed off, “...he was good Guardian. Young protector and the original Guardian to even Man in Moon. Have not seen him in centuries. During our last battle with Pitch, he sacrificed himself to save us all.”

“Wow. Sounds like quite the guy,” Jack remarked, swinging his staff so it rested comfortably on his shoulder. Turning so he was facing the other more, the boy questioned, “But is he really dead? I mean, I thought if they had belief any Guardian could keep living. Sandy’s a testament to that.”

“No, no. This was before such a rule was had. Our young friend was of the Golden Age. He did not need belief to keep going, much like you do not, though reason is likely different for you,” the bearded-male responded, shaking his head once again.

“The Golden Age? What’s that, the Renaissance?” the boy questioned, brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

“Ah! I have many story to tell you. Did I ever tell you of how I was once the King of Thieves?” North asked, beginning to make his way back towards where the others had remained in the sitting room, Jack trailing after. Perhaps now would be the time for them to share all of their stories. It would certainly help them to bond. 

Behind them, the moonbeam continued to rest over the hidden crystal.

Trekking to the sitting room, North threw the door open and stepped inside, Jack stepping in after him. The larger male gave a grin to the startled three remaining Guardians, the Spirit of Winter shuffling over to sit back on his windowsill and watch the oncoming conversation that was sure to be interesting.

“North, was that really bloody necessary to suddenly slam open the door like that? You almost gave me a heart attack, you know I hate that,” Bunny growled, scowling slightly as he attempted to calm down his rapidly beating heart.

“Ha, you rabbits are always so easily startled,” the man known to children around the world as Santa Claus shook his head.

Flying up from her seated position, Tooth gave the Guardian of wonder a curious look, “Did something big happen, North? You seem excited.”

“Yes! Well, more like soon to happen! I am thinking it is best if we all are telling Jack of our past, and him to us. Would be good bonding experience, no?” the bearded man questioned, giving their newest member a side glance with a smile.

Looking a bit startled, though not objective, the woman nodded, “Oh! I hadn’t even considered it. It would be a good bonding experience, wouldn’t it. It is important to know about each other if we want to work as a team, after all.”

Sandy gave a nod as well, symbols flashing over his head in sand, to which North translated, “Ah, Sandy is agreeing. We all four know of each other’s pasts, but our newest member is odd one out. It is not fair to him.”

“...Alright, as long as everyone else is saying there’s, I guess I don’t mind,” Bunny frowned, not liking to talk about his less than pleasant past.

Giving his friend a grin, North spoke, “Good, then we will start right away! I will go first, as I was first Guardian chosen of us.”

“Woah, hold on. You were first? For some reason, I always thought Sandy was…” Jack commented, staff tapping lightly against the floor as he leaned forward a bit.

“That is right! Sandy was actually most recent of us to be chosen,” the man laughed. Taking a seat on his own couch, Tooth following and returning to her own seated position, the blue-eyed male began, “Now, onto story. I was a young man in Russia many hundreds of years ago, raised by the forest and nature until Cossacks took me in. Was very dangerous, I stole very often and fought very much, but even for me the Cossacks were too much. I ended up creating my own band of thieves, and soon earned title of King of Thieves!”

The white-haired male by the window listened with interest, picturing the friendly old man he knew as a young rough and tumble thief in the Russian wilderness.

“Now, one day a moonbeam came to me in a dream and told me of wonderful village called Santoff Claussen. A place created by the Great Wizard Ombric for those who had much wanting of learning to invent and live peaceful lives. I was told of great treasure to be found there, and with my horse Petrov and road to the village! We went through many trials, over clouds and through great vines. There were many defenses to hide village, all of my men who had followed me were turned to stone by great enchantress of the forest. Only I made it in.”

“Wait, wait,” Jack cut-in, snapping North from his storytelling, “I thought the Pole was called Santoff Claussen?”

“Yes! Both are Santoff Claussen, that will come in later,” the larger gave a nod, “But, back to story. Where was I? Ah, yes! So, I ride into the village atop my great horse, only to hear the frightened cries of the children! The great bear that was stationed to protect the village had been poisoned by Pitch and was attacking the villagers. So I took off and fought him off, a bear as large as a house. It was great battle, but in the end, I succeeded and vanquished him.”

From there, the man continued to tell his tale. Sharing of how he became an apprentice to Ombric, friend of the old wizard’s young brave charge known as Katherine, and became acquainted with a mysterious young spirit made of light. How he learnt of Pitch and built a djinni, going with the great old warlock to find the lost relics of the Golden Age. He continued on to describe the Luna Lamadary, how he obtained his sword, one once belong to Tsar Lunar, and how he and his two companions pledged to protect the children of the earth as the first Guardians. 

Jack did his best not to interrupt, laughing here or there or staring in surprise (because really, who would have thought that the yeti would have come from such a place, or that the elves were North’s old comrades!). It was a grand tale, one befitting of a man such as North, and to Jack, there was something all too familiar about it. To the boy, it was almost as if he had heard the story before, a long time ago. He could easily picture in his mind everything as the other spirit described it, playing out in his mind as though it were a movie. Well, almost everything. There was one person he couldn’t quite picture, the mysterious young spirit the man had mentioned meeting. 

The teen was almost tempted to question the other on the boy, but something held him back. He couldn’t quite explain it, but for the moment, the white-haired boy settled on believing that it was because the others might expand on the young spirit in their own stories. If he, Katherine, and Ombric were also Guardians, surely the other three had met them at one point or another.

With his tale finished, North turned to Bunny, who had been rolling his eyes with how over dramatic the former Cossack was being in his tale. Realizing it was his turn, Bunnymund shifted uncomfortably, turning to give Jack a hard stare, “There will be absolutely no laughing about how I used to act, are we clear?”

Blinking at the unexpected statement, the teen gave a nod, “Crystal,” he replied, tacking on a cheeky grin for good measure. 

“Yes, there will be no mocking of anyone with these stories,” North nodded sagely, setting an unopposed rule for the duration of the story-telling. 

“Right, well then,” the spring spirit shifted once more, “I guess I’ll start off at the very beginning then. I’m actually not a rabbit, I’m a pooka. We were a race of beings on another planet a long time ago. Things happened with Pitch,” he growled out the name, spitting it as though it were acid, “and I ended up as the only one left, coming to earth way back when during the Golden Age.”

Well, that certainly wasn’t what Jack had been expecting. It was obvious the pooka was omitting certain details, but no one dared to call him on it.

“I ended up meeting this bloke,” Bunny jabbed a finger over towards North sitting across from him, “When Ombric was messing with the time machine at the Lamadary.”

“Woah, woah, wait. A time machine? What?” Jack quipped, raising a brow. He definitely had to check that out at some point.

Waving it off, the spirit of hope continued, “Yeah, they have one at the Lamadary. Anyways, he and his friends came to me asking for a way to the center of the earth to help fight Pitch off again. I ended up joining them and fighting Pitch since I had the second relic, a golden egg that gave off light, and they had no way to defeat him without me.”

“While I admit, it is true, you were also very resistant to help at first,” North cut-in ,giving the other a slight smirk, “But then again, you were very different bunny back then. Wearing a fancy cloak and acting as if you were too smart for all of us ‘emotional humans’,” he gave a laugh. Wiping at his eye, the man continued, “And of course, we cannot be forgetting your obsession with egg-shapes and chocolate.”

“Hey, I thought we agreed not to speak of that,” the other hissed, throwing a glance Jack’s way. Of course, just as he had feared, the teen was leaning forward with a smirk, greatly interested.

“No way, Bunny?” he laughed in disbelief.

“Yes! And whenever he eats chocolate, he would grow stronger and tear off his clothes! Once he even grew six arms, was quite the sight!” the Guardian of wonder continued to regale, chucking with remembrance.

“Moving on,” the pooka cut-in, desperately making to change the subject, “I ended up becoming a Guardian with them and getting to know the villagers of Santoff Claussen.”

“So then, what was--” the Guardian of fun began, only to be cut-off by an excited Tooth.

“Oh! So it’s my turn next then, right?” she questioned rhetorically, both nervous and somewhat excited to share about herself with their new young friend. 

With a nod, North gestured for her to go on, “Yes, go ahead, Tooth. Then Sandy, and finally, Jack.”

Somewhat composing herself, the fairy began, “Well, it all begins with my father, Haroom, and the maharaja he served…” 

Out of all of the stories told so far, Tooth’s was the most detailed and complex. She told of how her father had been a tracker for a wealthy maharaja, and how the two had gone out hunting for a famously mysterious flying elephant in Punjam Hy Loo, where Tooth’s palace now stood. The elephant had been protected by the Sisters of Flight, and when the maharaja went to attack them, her father had sacrificed himself to save them. His actions then warmed the hearts of the Sisters of Flight, and Tooth’s mother, Rashmi, who was one of them, ended up marrying him after they resurrected the man. Meanwhile, the maharaja had his wickedness and freed stolen, making him a monkey man who fled.

Tooth and her family had lived in a village with other humans away from the Sisters of Flight, only for the girl to grow wings, much to the unease and later greedy pleasure of the adults of the village. The children and the forest tried to help and protect the family, but the adults ended up hiring a bounty hunter to catch them so they could use Tooth in a show. Unfortunately, the girl’s parents ended up being murdered by the bounty hunters, leading the young Guardian of memories with only a ruby box and a note telling her of their love. 

“Tooth, I’m sorry about your parents,” Jack spoke up after a while, causing the Queen of fairies to pause in her tale. He felt bad now, having her tell of such a painful past. Not only her, but Bunny had also mentioned his entire race being obliterated by Pitch...

Giving him a small smile, she placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, “It’s alright, it was a long time ago. Besides, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Picking up where she had left off, the woman continued on with her story. Remembering what her parents had told her about the importance of baby teeth to childhood memories, Tooth had begun collecting them and leaving behind gifts for children. She had unfortunately been captured by the bounty hunter, who it turns out was actually the old maharaja, now king of the monkeys. He had taken her to the Sisters of Flight in hopes of them changing back, but was denied. Using the power of the box and thinking of her beloved parents, Tooth made her mini-fairies for the first time and was able to escape.

The Sisters of Flight, though, once learning of what had happened to her mother, were turned into wooden statues and died. Vowing to get her revenge, she went on to collect teeth, not crossing paths with the king of the monkeys until she went to collect Katherine’s baby tooth and met North and the others. From there, she learnt the monkey king was working with Pitch when his fellow monkeys captured Katherine and kidnapped her, leaving their “king” to be a prisoner to the Guardians. Joining forces with North, Bunny, Ombric, and the mysterious glowing boy North had mentioned earlier, Tooth had fought against Pitch, though failed to save the girl, eventually joining them officially with her own relic from the Golden Age-- the box her mother and father had given her.

“Wow, Tooth...I never would have thought you had a past like that,” the Spirit of Winter confessed, “So are you half human then?”   
  
“That’s right. Only you and North are the full humans of us-- assuming you are fully human, that is,” she replied, tacking on the last part apologetically. She didn’t want to assume anything now.

“Huh,” the eternal teen remarked, his staff resting on his shoulder while he wore an interested expression. It wasn’t really too surprising-- in fact, he was more surprised that Tooth was half-human if anything.

    Sandy floated over to Jack, pointing to himself with a grin as if asking if it was his turn to tell his backstory. With a chuckle, the boy gave a nod, “Go ahead, Sandman.”

    Deciding not to do as he had when the golden man had told the village of Santoff Claussen his story all those years ago, the man simply blew a bit of sand at the white-haired young man. It wasn’t enough to make the other fall asleep, no, but it was just enough that Sandy could infiltrate into his head and speak directly to him. A much easier way to communicate than attempting to use sand symbols, though much more draining.

    "It was very long again, during the Golden Age…” he began, Jack jumping in shock at the sudden voice within his head before realizing who it belonged to. Giving the surprised male a warm smile, Sandy continued, “I was a star pilot, running across the galaxy aboard shooting stars and dreaming up fantastical stories for my sand. That is what m sand is made of, dreams I have had that I now share with the children of this planet.”

    Well, that was certainly a shock. Jack had never expected that each piece of dream sand came from a dream Sandy himself had dreamt-- he must have slept a lot then!

    “One day I came across a wildly spinning star, and I was determined to make it my own,” The Sandman described how he had fought hard to gain control of the star, eventually succeeding after much of a struggle, and how inside of the star’s core he had found..

    “...a young girl by the name of Emily Jane, though she goes by Seraphina now and is called Mother Nature in title.”

    Jumping slightly in his seat, the Spirit of Winter gave a disbelieving wide-eyed look, “No way, you’re telling me Sera used to be called Emily Jane? And she was from a star? Why did she never tell me!” 

    All four of the other Guardians turned now to look at him with their own shock, Bunny speaking up, “You mean to tell me that you and Mother Nature know each other?” 

    “Well, yeah. We’ve been friends for a while now,” the teen shrugged effortlessly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. And perhaps it was, “I mean, I am the Spirit of Winter and all. It isn’t that weird that Mother Nature and I would know each other.”

    “I suppose that would be making sense,” North gave a nod, Sandy agreeing as well. Though it brought up the question why, in their, albeit rare, meetings with Mother Nature she had never thought to mention Jack Frost.

    With that settled, Sandy went back to his tale. He shared how Seraphina was actually the daughter of Pitch, how her home had been attacked by space pirates while her father was gone and she had fled upon a ship to a distant planet, her mother not so lucky. She had spent a long time being cared for by the overseer of that area until she eventually was banished after letting her anger overtake her and using the powers he had taught her to attack an innocent ship.

    From there, Emily Jane had spun wildly for an indiscernible amount of time, growing up within the center of the star. It was not until Sandy had found and befriended her that she had come in contact with her father again. Unfortunately for her, Pitch was no longer the heroic and valiant general he had once been. By this point, he had been consumed by the space pirates and fearlings, turned into the Pitch Black they now know him as.

    “Wait, Pitch was a hero?” Jack questioned, placing the butt-end of his staff on the ground and leaning forward against it.

    “Yes, he was once the greatest general of the Golden Age. Kozmotis Pitchiner, the man who swept evil out of the galaxy, only to be consumed by it when he was stationed to guard it alone. The shadows tricked the poor man, mimicking Emily Jane being in trouble inside the jail cell. Although the man knew it could not possibly be her, his feelings were too strong and he ran in to protect her anyways. That was when the dark beings were upon him, twisting the once beloved man into a horrific nightmare,” explained the Guardian of dreams.

    Blinking at the information, “Who wouldda thought…” the white-haired boy gave a nod and gestured for the other to continue his tale.Something about the story seemed to make everything click into place; it made sense now, why Pitch had told him he wanted a family when they had been alone on Antarctica. Perhaps there was still some of that lost man within the villain.

    Moving along, the golden man spoke, of how he and Emily Jane had been attacked by Pitch, the two managing to barely escape. They hurtled downwards, crash landing in the ocean of Earth. Sandy had remained asleep, creating a whole island of sand from his dreams. Emily Jane, meanwhile, had finally been freed of her star cage and went off to become Mother Nature.

    From there, the former pilot described how he had been called to fight with the others and rescue Katherine from Pitch where the others had failed. He had snuck off on his own to get Katherine, though the glowing boy she was close to had ended up following after him despite the man telling the boy not to. The poor girl had been trapped in a cycle of nightmares, and would have been lost to the world if not for the boy giving her his Good Night Kiss.

    The four Guardians shifted a bit at this, frowning at the reminder of what had ultimately led to the lose of their young friend. Jack, meanwhile, was smiling softly. The idea of such a thing made the teen’s cold chest feel a bit warm, and he found himself able to clearly picture the scene in his mind’s eye, though the mysterious young teen’s appearance was still a mystery to him.

    “From there, after moving half off Santoff Claussen here, we later had big battle on the moon. Was quite the show! I--” North began, only to have Bunny cut him off.

    “Yeah, yeah, we get it, you showpony,” the Easter bunny rolled his eyes.

    “Well, that’s basically our stories,” Tooth commented, looking around at the others and getting nods in return, “What about yours, Jack?”

    “Mine?” the boy asked with a smile, “Well, it’s nowhere near as exciting as any of yours, but I can share,” he gave a chuckle.

    The others returned to their seats, intent on listening to the winter teen speak his tale. While they had known about each other’s backstories already, Jack Frost was an entirely new book.

    “Like I said before, I only remember from when I was fourteen until I was eighteen as a human. I know I was taken in by the family that raised me the Overlands, so maybe that’s why I can’t remember anything from earlier?” he gave a shrug, “Anyways, I lived in Burgess during the colonial times out by my lake.”

    “Oh, so that’s why you spend so much time over there!” Tooth commented, “It’s your home from even before you were Jack Frost.”

    “Yeah, actually, that lake is where I became Jack Frost,” the blue-eyed boy explained. Pausing before the next part of the story, the male took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. Not meeting the curious gazes of the other four, he went on, “I had been ice skating with my little sister, Flee. She raced on ahead of me, and I stepped out before I could put on my skates. As I was bending down to put them on, I heard a loud crack and a sudden gasp from my sister.”

    Four pairs of eyes widened, each feeling a tinge of anxiety as the story progressed.

    “I looked over to see that the ice was cracking underneath her. She told me she was afraid, and well, to make her feel better, I made a game out of it,” the teen spoke sheepishly, feeling a bit silly now that he thought about it, “I pretended it was hopscotch and took three large hopping steps to the thicker ice. When I encouraged her to do the same,  was too afraid at first, but eventually she decided to believe in me,” the words were said with a soft smile, sapphire eyes distant as though he were seeing the scene all over again.

    Belief, it seemed, had always been an important factor in Jack’s life.

    “She took three steps, then I grabbed my staff and puller onto the thick ice and away from the cracking part,” Jack continued, a sense of relief filling the air at the knowledge that the boy’s sister had made it out safely.

    “And then Manny chose you?” Tooth questioned, flittering over closer to the still slightly isolated boy.

    “Well,” the other spoke carefully, leaning forward lazily against his staff once more, “I may or may not have accidentally pushed myself over and fallen under the ice and died?”

    The words were spoken so quickly, the others almost didn’t quite catch them. Once they registered, though, it was as though all hell broke loss.

    “You what--?!” Bunny exclaimed, eyes wide and ears standing straight up. Tooth had her hands over her mouth, gaping speechlessly, at a completely loss for words. Next to them, Sandy and North looked just as surprised, though were much less expressive about it.

    “Hey, hey, there’s no need to make a big deal out of it,” Jack quickly made to pacify the others, “It was a long time ago, and I’m fine now, see?” he swung his arms out, as if leaving his person bare for them to judge in full.

    Moving towards him, Tooth shook her head, “Still, Jack, it must have been terrible…” the Queen trailed off, unable to properly put into words just how she was feeling about the revelation. 

    Shaking his head, the boy continued to argue, “No, listen guys, seriously. I’m fine, it’s okay. Can we move on? I don’t really want to talk about this anymore,” he rubbed his arm uncomfortably.

    “Snowflake, do you really think we can just--” the pooka started, only to be cut off by an outstretched arm from North.

    “Yes, of course. Let us be changing subject then, yes? We will instead now talk of how fantastic a Christmas this way, yet again!” the tallest of them cheered, “And of course, Easter will not be able to compete with such success.”

    That was enough to get Bunny’s attention. Snapping back to look up at the other, the gray-furred male growled, “What was that, mate? I’ll have you know I’ve got big plans this year that’ll blow your little Christmas celebration out of the water!”

    Watching the other devolve into their usual argument, with Sandy smiling in amusement next to him and Tooth becoming distracted by her fairies (it was a miracle she had lasted so long), Jack couldn’t keep the sigh of relief from escaping him. He’d have to do something in return for North later, maybe help out with those ice sculptures he liked to make or something of the like. He really owed his friend one for getting the attention off of him.

* * *

     Almost a full year later found the Guardians facing off against Pitch once again. The Nightmare King was not yet at his full power, it would take much longer for that to happen, but his goal was not to take down all of the Guardians. No. He had one particular target in mind: Jack Frost, the one who had been the root cause of his failure. Pitch was going to turn the winter spirit into a fearling prince, something he had not attempted in many years.

    It had been simple enough to capture the boy. The fearlings had merely masqueraded their voices to sound like that of dear Jamie Bennett, easily luring the eternal teen into a trap. Following a tactic he had used many years ago with another certain eternal teen, Pitch had trapped the male inside a cage, though rather than not allowing in any light, it was heated up so as not to allow any ice magic to be used on the bars.

    What did not go as according to plan, though, was that of the other Guardians quickly catching wind of the boy’s disappearance and coming down to confront Pitch and demand the spirit’s return. 

    Looking down at them with a sneer, Pitch reached out a hand towards the winter spirit, of whom was grasping at the bars fruitlessly. With a laugh, the man spoke, “Now I’ll turn your pathetic little Guardian of fun into my fearling prince. It’s been far too long since I have had a child I could work with.”

    “Pitch, don’t you dare!” North exclaimed, stepping forward with a saber in each hand.

    “I gave the boy the choice to willingly work with me and he refused. I really just have no choice but to do this--” the dark spirit spoke as he grasped onto Jack’s arm, willing his fearlings to consume the boy.

    A sudden brilliant light stopped the man, causing him to let out a scream and stumble backwards. There was a searing pain in his right arm, and looking down, he could only stare in mute horror at the sight that greeted him.

    The top half of his right hand, going about halfway down his forearm, had lost it’s dull grey color. The skin was now a warm tan, reminiscent of how he had once looked all of those years ago during the Golden Age. Back when the man had been Kozmotis Pitchiner. 

    Glowing brightly, the teen he had been just about to consume stared down at his own hands in confusion and disbelief. Why was he glowing? What was going on? While he was certain he had never shone brightly before, the teen felt as though there was something right about this…

    His fellow Guardians watched with wide eyes, North going so far as to drop his weapons in shock at the sight. Here was no way, was there? No chance that Jack was actually--

    Narrowing his eyes with clear disdain, Pitch grit his teeth, growling out a single name, spitting it out as though it were a curse. A name which, to the eternal teen, was completely unknown yet the most familiar thing in the world.

“Nightlight.”

  



End file.
